Leather-working machine.



N0. 69l,307. v Patented la'n. |4,- I902. E E. CHAIN & W. A. COPELAND.

LEATHER wonkma MACHINE.

- (Application filed-Sept. 16, 1901.) (No Modal.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l.

HE ORRS PEYERS o0 PHOTO-L THO WAS N TON. o c

Patented la'n. I E. E. CHAIN & W. A. COPELAND.

LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

(Application filed Sept. 16. 190L) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

N0. 69|,30 7. Patented 'lan.vl4, l90 2.'

E. E. CHAIN 8:. W. A. BOPELAND.

LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

(Application filed Sept. 16, 1901.\

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(N0 Model.)

WITQESE E '5 0. 0

Patented Ian. I4, I902. E. E..CHAIN & w. A. COPELAND.

LEATHER WORKING MACHINE.

(Application filed Sept. 16, 1901.! (No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

WITNESSES: %W-* U ITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER E. CHAIN, OF BOSTON, AND \VILLIAM A. COPELAND, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE TURNER TANNING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIR- GINIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,307, dated January 14,1902.

Application filed September 16, 1901. Serial No 76,556. (No model.)

T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ELMER E. CHAIN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and WIL- LIAM A. COPELAND, of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex, in the State of Massachusetts,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Leather-\Vorking .Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for treating hides, skins, and leather, relating more particularly to that type of machines in which the hide or skin is folded about a fiat support and is acted upon by a working surface or member consisting of a plurality of working edges arranged in a substantially flat plane, the support and working surface being movable one with respect to the other, although for many purposes it will be understood that the invention may be employed in connection with machines of other types for accomplishing the treating of hides, skins,

, and leather.

Heretofore in machines such as referred to the work-support had two operative faces,

2 5 against which the skin or hide was held, and it was moved between two oppositely-disposed working surfaces or members, so that the major portion of the skin or hide was engaged by them. That portion of the hide, however,

0 which passed over the ends of the support could not be reached by the Working surfaces or members, and it was necessary to provide means for temporarily disengaging the work ,ing surfaces or members from the hide or 3 5 skin and shifting the latter upon its'support,

so as to bring the untreated portion in position to be engaged by said working surfaces. This expedient for securing the treatment of the entire surface of the hide or skin has not 0 been productive of the best results, since the skin was thereby subjected to greater rubbing, scraping, or other treatment at one portion of its surface than at others, and consequently when it left the machine it was not 5 uniformly finished, and, moreover, it necessitated the employment of automatic mechanism for separating the working surfaces from the hide or skin and temporarily rendering the machine inoperative.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a machine of the type referred to having means for efiecting a uniform treatment of the skin or hide; and to this end the illustrated embodiment of the invention is shown as provided with one or more working members adapted to engage and treat that portion of the hide or skin which lies around the end of the support without shifting it relatively to the said support.

It is evident that we may embody, and in fact we-have contemplated embodying, our invention in a variety of ways; but according to the illustration accompanying this specification We use blades or slickers which are adapted to engage the untreated portion '65 of the skin upon the end of the table or support and subject it to practically the same treatment as is received by the remainder of the skin or hide from the main Working members.

The supports for the skins, of which there are preferably a plurality, are carried successively between oppositely-disposed working surfaces or members by an endless carrier, and a supplemental member or members is or are hung to intersect the path of the'support, so that as the end of each one of the latter emerges from the working surfaces or members it engages the blades or slickers, which yield and permit the edges thereof to rub or scrape the hide on the said end as the said support moves along.

Referring to the drawings, which represent one embodiment of the invention, to which it will be understood, however, we are not lim- 8 ited, Figure 1 represents in. longitudinal section a putting-out machine equipped with the invention. Figs. 2 and 3 represent the operation of the supplemental working members. Fig. 4 represents an end View of one of the 90 supports or tables with the supplemental working members. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 represent details in construction of the latter.

The machine is provided with the usual frame, on which are journaled supporting- 5 sprockets for the endless carrier. Two of these sprocket-wheels are indicated at 1O 10. The endless-chain carrier is indicatedat 11, and upon it are supported a plurality of supports or tables 12. Many of the general fea- Ioo tures of the machine are similar to those illustrated and described in patents No. 584,123, of June 8, 1897, and No. 615,656, dated December 6, 1898, to which reference may be had for a more detailed description of the mechanism herein briefly referred to.

13 14 represent, more orless conventionally, oppositely-disposed workingsurfaces or members each of which comprises a plurality of working ribs, edges, or other contrivances which are adapted to engage and rub or scrape a skin or hide.

The tables or supports, which are operatively connected to the endless carrier, are each provided with two fiat faces with curved ends, and the said tables or supports are caused to pass successively between the working surfaces or members, the travel of the said members being at an inclination, as shown in Fig. 1. Any suitable driving mechanism may be employed for actuating the carrier; but as said mechanism forms no independent partof this invention we have not seen lit to illustrate it.

The working members are held yieldingly toward each other, whereby they separate slightly as the work-support passes between them; but we have not illustrated the mechanism bywhich it is accomplished, as it is clearly shown in the patents previously referred to.

15 16 represent spirally-bladed rolls placed in the path of movement of the support. These rolls operate to smooth out the wrink-le's from the hide or skin 01' to otherwise treat it, as occasion may require, and they are located, respectively, in frontof and in the rear of the working members 13 14. These rolls likewise operate to hold the hide or skin upon the support as the latter passes between them. They are driven'by any suitable mechanism. (Not shown upon the drawings.)

In operation the skin or hide is loosely folded over the support at the front end of the machine, so that it lies upon both faces thereof, with portions extended around the front end, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and it is to treat these portions last referred to that the present invention is designed. Above and below the carrier are two transverseshafts 17 and 18, the ends of which are suitably journal'ed in bearings upon the frame, Each of the shafts supports a plurality of working devices, which consist of slicker blades or edges arranged in the path of movement of the table or support. Each slicker-blade 19 is mounted upon the end of two arms 20 20, loosely journaled upon the shaft 17 18, as the case may be. Each arm is provided with a finger 21, and adjacent to the hub of each arm there is rigidly secured to the supporting-shaft a finger 22. Between the two fingers 21 and 22is placed a compression-spring 23, which is held in place by a threaded rod 24, passed loosely through the fingers and having on its end a nut 25. According to this construction each one of the slicker-blades or supplemental members 19 is moved independently of the others, under yielding pressure, however. The ends of the slickers which are supported upon each shaft are in line, so as to project slightly across the median plane of the sup port when it is in operative position, as illustrated in Fig. 2, so that as saidsupport travels along the slickers being mounted so as to swing upward or downward, as the case may be, the skin which is upon the end of the support is wiped or put out. Each end of each of the slicker-blades has ayielding or loose movement relatively to the other, this being effected by mounting it upon the two supportingarms. The movement of each arm relatively to its supporting-shaft is limited, however, by forming the hubs of the arms 20 and the fingers 22 with interlocking teeth 35 36, respectively, said teeth being so formed, however, as topermit a limited oscillatory movement of one of the arms relatively to its adjacent finger. I

Of course it will be understood that the I slicker-blades ofthe supplemental members are readily removable, and to this end they may be held in place by cotter-pins 37 37, as shown in Fig. 5. It will be further understood that each blade may be supported by a single arm, if desired, although for general purposes we have found the construction which we have described to be satisfactory.

The tension upon the slickers may be increased by means which we will now explain. Rigidly secured to each of the shafts i's an elongated arm 26, arranged at an angle to the'a'rms 20. Along this arm is adjust-ably mounted a weight 27. This weight holds the slicker arms in operative position and is forced upward when the support or table engages the slickers. By adjusting the Weight toward and from the shaft the tension or the degree of pressure of the slickers against the support may be increased or decreased, as oocasion requires.

It is desirable that the slicker-blades should do no work other than putting out, rubbing, or treating that part of the skin which lies upon the end of the table, and consequently we provide means for disengaging them after they have performed that function.

To each of the shafts 17 and 18 is attached another arm 28, which hangs downwardly or upwardly and which is equipped on its end with a roll 29. Normally this arm 28 rests against the stop 30 on the framework of the machine, so as to hold'the slickers in position. Then when the table is advanced a sufficient 'distancetheroll is engaged by the outer edge thereof, and the arm 28 is lifted up or thrust down in Fig. 3, so as to disengage all of the slickers carried by the shaft from the skin or hide.

We have contemplated having one long slicker or working edge extending entirely across the machine from side to side; but we believe that the employment of a series or ICC plurality of edges produces a better effect, and we have therefore illustrated the present embodiment of the invention.

It will be observed that the two series of slickers or working edges 19 are arranged to be engaged successively by the tables or supports, those supported by the shaft 17 partially treating the skin which lies upon the end of the table and those supported by the shaft 18 completing the putting out or treating operation.

In the operation of the machine, during the first portion of the movement of each support as it emerges from the main working members it is caused to engage the supplemental member or series of members, and as said support progresses further it carries the member with it, the free end of the supporting-arm swinging upward yieldingly, so as to cause it to be drawn around and to wipe the skin upon the end of the support.

In addition to the weight 27 increasing the tension or pressure of the supplemental member or members against the support, it also serves to reset or return the said members to operative position as soon as the rolls 29 ride up or off from the support or table.

The resistance of the yielding member or members is in a direction substantially directly opposite the path of movement of the carrier, so that the action of the edges or ribs of said member or members is only on that portion of the skin which is upon the end of the support, this being assisted by the provision of the arm 28 and the roll 29.

So far as we are aware we are the first to have provided a leather treating machine of the type employing substantially a fiat support about which a skin or hide may be doubled, with one or more working members adapted to engage and treat, without shifting the said skin or hide, that portion of the skin or hide which is upon the end of the support. Therefore we in no wise limit ourselves to the particular form of supplemental member or members that we have seen fit to herein illustrate and describe. Consequently said machine may be changed and modified in many respects without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. So far as we know the mechanism which we have illustrated and described is a satisfactory embodiment of the present invention, for the reason that we are enabled to employ a plurality of skin or hide supports or tables moved unidirectionally, whereby there is no necessity for intermittently engaging and disengaging the main working members with or from the skin or hide, as is the case where the latter haf to be shifted upon the support in order to permit the putting out or treating of that portion which previously lay around the end of the support. Again, the provision of the yielding supplemental members enables the successful treatment by them of only that portion of the hide or skin which is upon the end of the support, and consequently the rubbing orscraping of the skin can be carried on to the same extent throughout the entire area thereof, so that the skin is uniformly treated according to our invention.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, we declare that what we claim is- 1. A machine of the character described, comprising a flat support over the end of which a hide or skin may be folded to lie against the faces of the support, means for treating that portion of the skin which lies on the end of the support without shifting said skin, and for treating the portions of the skin lying on the flat sides of said support, and instrumentalities for making the said support and the said means relatively movable.

2. A machine of the character described comprising a work-support having two flat faces, whereby a skin or hide may be folded about the end of the support to lie against said fiat faces, and means for uniformly treating the entire exposed area of said hide or skin, said means including members for engaging the doubled portion of said hide or skin which is on the end of the support, without shifting the skin.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a work-support having approximately-flat faces and an end whereby a skin or hide may be doubled over the said end to lie against said faces, and one or more yielding members for treating that portion of the hide or skin which is on the end of the support.

4. A machine of the character described comprising a series of traveling fiat work-supports, each adapted to have a skin or hide stretched around its end, and a working member disposed in the path of movement of said supports and consisting of a plurality of blades or edges adapted to engage and treat the skins on the ends of said supports.

5. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling work-support, and a yielding working member hung loosely across the path of said work-support and adapted to yield to the action of said support whereby it is wiped around the end of said support.

6. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling work-support, and a working member hung loosely across the path of said work-support and adapted to yield to the action of said support whereby it is having a free lower end, said member having parallel ribs Or edges extending from side to side thereof.

8. A machine of the character described comprisingatravelingsupport,working members hung one from a point. at one side and the other froma point at the other side to intersect the path of movement of said support, whereby said members are engaged by the end of said support and gradually separated to act upon those portions of the skin which extend about said end of the support.

9. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling work-support, work ing members disposed to permit the passage of the support between them, and oppositely disposed supplemental members arranged in the path of the work-support for engaging and treating the skin on the end of said support.

10. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling worksupport, and two series of members arranged in the path of the work-support to be successively engaged by the end of the support to wipe the skin on the said end in opposite directions.

11. A machine of the character described comprising a traveling work-support, a shaft, and aplurality of independent Working members supported by said shaft in the path of the work-supportand adapted to engage and treat the skin or hide which is on the end of the said support.

12. A machine of the character referred to, comprising main working members, a fiat work-support, adapted to pass between said members, a movable supplemental member for treating that portion of the skin which lies on the end of the support without shifting the skin, and means for resetting saidsupple nental member.

13. A machine ofthe character referred to,

comprising a fiat work-support, a movable 7 which lies on the end of the support without shifting the skin, and a weight for varying the working pressure of said member.

15. A machine of the character referred to, comprising main working members, a flat Work-support, adapted to pass between said members, and a plurality of slicker-s or wipers for treating that portion of the hide or skin which lies upon the end of the support Without shifting the skin.

16. A machine of the character referred to, comprising main working members, a flat work-support adapted to pass between said members, a supplemental member for treating that portion of the skin which lies on the end of the support, and means for preventing said supplemental member from engaging those portions of the skin which li e upon the faces of said support.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signaturesin presence of two witnesses.

ELMER E. CHAIN. WVILLIAM A. COPELAND.

W'itnesses:

M. B. MAY, 0. C. Susanna. 

